Mark Hunt: 'I got beat down by Stipe,' but I will make UFC comeback

Even if you are somehow not a fan of Mark Hunt, Saturday night's (May 9, 2015) vicious beating at the hands of Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC Fight Night 65 in Adelaide, South Australia probably made you cringe a bit.

If you haven't seen the one-sided beatdown, check out the full highlights here, and Hunt's mangled face after the bout here.

Miocic landed an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) record 361 strikes on the hapless "Super Samoan," reigning down an endless barrage of punches in just about 23 minutes of work before finally earning the (technical) knockout victory in the fifth frame.

After such a hellacious beating, many fight fans wondered if the New Zealander would ever make the trek back to the Octagon, and just days after the event, Hunt told 3 News that he will in fact make a UFC return.

His words:

"It was a hard night in the office, but I took the beating like a man. I got caught fighting with my energy levels down and you can't make this mistake at the top level.

There is nothing wrong with me, I just look bad. The UFC looks after you really well, checking you up, but I'm good. It's not an easy way to make a living, it was a hard night at the office, but I accept my outcome as a fighter.

I got beat down by Stipe, and it will take a couple of weeks before the bruising goes down and I'll be back to normal again. I'll be back to training in about three weeks."

Looks like the "Super Samoan" is not retiring after all.

While many will be excited by this news, it also has to be a bit alarming considering Hunt has lost two straight fights via knockout, and has won a single fight in his last five contests.

Even with the loss, the former K-1 champ did not move far down the rankings, falling only one spot to No. 6.

At 41-years old and 10-10-1 in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, there may not be much left in the gas tank for the old war horse, but a highlight-reel knockout is never out of the question for Hunt.

Who knows, maybe a fight against struggling heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga can help the fan-favorite get back on the winning track.